This text is part of the special Health and well-being section
While all women go through menopause and the stages that surround it, perimenopause, it seems that we are still reluctant to talk about the aging of women. What are the consequences of such denial for the economy and for women themselves?
Some $3.5 billion. This is the cost of menopause for the Canadian economy. “Companies must understand that supporting women in this stage is to their advantage! » says Caroline Codsi, president and founder of La governance au feminine, which supports women in the development of their careers. It is in fact generally when women are at the peak of their expertise that perimenopause hits them. Insomnia, anxiety, brain fog, memory loss, difficulty managing stress. These symptoms affect their work and their confidence in their skills. Many give up on a job they dreamed of and “one in ten women resign because of menopause,” observes Mirella Di Blasio, author of the book. The perimenopause without filterspeaker and president and founder of Lulu Événements, events agency.
An economic question
The workplace silence surrounding perimenopause speaks volumes. “Nearly three women in ten do not talk about it for fear of being perceived as weak, old or outdated by their colleagues,” says Mme Di Blasio, who calls herself the Joan of Arc of perimenopausal women. This silence costs companies dearly since women aged 40 and over represent a quarter of Canadian workers and a third of them say that their work performance is affected by their symptoms. Accommodations can support these workers, but women fear being seen as complicated and being stigmatized. There is indeed a risk that a woman will be refused a position because of her age. “On the other hand, our society is more and more inclusive, and companies are not deaf to this reality,” observes Mme Codesi.
Organon, a Quebec company which notably develops medicines distributed worldwide, is an example of an organization which supports women in the stages they go through by offering the possibility of a flexible working mode, personalized leave policies and support. for women’s health by mentors, for example. “A room with dimmed lighting and where the temperature can be adjusted, perimenopause awareness training and, in factories, a dress code adapted to hot flashes, it’s simple and helpful,” explains M.me Di Blasio.
Menopause, a liberation?
Talk about it, therefore, to better understand the phenomenon and normalize aging. “Our society is obsessed with performance at work, with one’s body, one’s beauty, one’s youth,” says Isabelle Mimeault, head of research at the Quebec Action Network for Women’s Health (RQASF). This is an unbearable pressure for perimenopausal women. » The aging woman becomes one who is no longer good at giving birth, more attractive and no longer completely a mother, since the children, for those who have them, leave the house. “Who am I if I am no longer what I identified with and which was, in part, imposed on me by patriarchal and capitalist society? » asks Mme Mimeault. Menopause can be an opportunity for women to question who they really are. “It’s cliché, but this emotional, even spiritual aspect is liberating. »
Losing one’s youth, often associated with beauty, “is an opportunity to free oneself from the gaze of others”, believes
Sophie Dancourt, journalist and founder of I have swimming pool with Simone, in reference to Simone de Beauvoir and Simone Veil, a blog which gives visibility to women aged 45 and over. There is this prescription for women to disappear once they reach a certain age, “like the witch locked in her solitude. This dangerous figure has powers, because she no longer seeks to please, like the woman who reclaims her identity and frees herself from patriarchal injunctions. Called “the first death” in the 18th centurye century, menopause can be “the opportunity for a second life, where the energy put into pleasing and mothering, in the broad sense, can be devoted to crossing doors that until then we had not dared to open », Underlines the journalist. Moreover, the woman who worked to be sexually desired can finally desire. “Ultimate taboo!” It’s hard to imagine a 50-year-old woman being desired, but even less so being desirous! » However, it is during perimenopause that many women finally dare to explore their true sexual desires.
A health system that needs to be updated
Although the vast majority of women experience symptoms, many are unaware that they are caused by perimenopause. This lack of knowledge is also present in the health system. “I was experiencing a maelstrom of symptoms as menopause approached,” recalls M.me Di Blasio. No doctor, psychologist or rheumatologist could tell me what was wrong with me. »
Her case represents what many women experience in the health system, which prescribes them sleeping pills, antidepressants, contraceptive pills or anxiolytics. According to a study by the Canadian Menopause Foundation, less than a quarter of women between 40 and 60 say their doctor has talked to them about menopause and, of just under half of those who consult about their symptoms, more than two thirds consider the advice received to be of little use.
Of course, hormone therapy, which still puts off doctors, is a solution, but so are acupuncture, naturopathy and relaxation, says M.me Mimeault. “Stress messes up your hormones, but who takes ten minutes a day to breathe consciously? » Current society is not fertile ground for experiencing an easy menopause. However, we must admit that aging women no longer accept being this “silent majority who suffer in silence”, as Ms.me Di Blasio, and that they dare more and more “to put on their swimsuit and dare to take the big leap in this second part of their life”, concludes Sophie Dancourt.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.
